AU: Preventing Imperfection
by Rumpelstiltskin und Vladimir
Summary: Sam Beckett leaps into scientist Roger Garrett, a man who lives in Perfection Valley, Nevada, studying the effects of mixmaster on the local life. The problem he's there to fix? Saving two of the residents from a terrible death. And how's he supposed to do that? He has absolutely no idea. But he'd better figure it out soon, or the whole world may be in danger. *CHAPTER 3 UP*
1. Chapter 1

**CROSSOVER! *happy dance* Rumpy really wanted to do this one, and I'll admit I got excited about it too. hehe. I get to play Sam! Have any a y'all ever seen Quantum Leap? If you ain't, you should check it out. It's an old-fashioned sci-fi show, pretty cool. I'm only on season 4, the very beginning, but I need to finish it before Dezember 'cause Rumpy said we're watchin' season 5 together while I'm up there. :I Oh yeah. Guess I ain't told y'all 'bout that. I'm flyin' a plane ****_(for the very first time)_**** up there right after Christmas and stayin' with the family fer two weeks. SO MANY FIRSTS FOR ME. Plane, airport, ocean (I am so very excited to see it, even if I can't go swimmin'). Eeep!**

***DISCLAIMER* RV makes no claim to own Tremors or its characters. They are the property of S.S. Wilson and ScyFy Entertainment. No profit is made from this writing.**

* * *

Brilliant blue-white light flashed and Sam Beckett found himself in another unfamiliar surrounding. He looked around himself, taking in his new location.

He was standing in what appeared to be a small lab (emphasis on the small). Tables, beakers, test tubes, samples, DNA specimens; it looked like a research facility for something specific. His reflection stared back at him from one of the windows, a dark brown face with short black hair. He looked past that, to the sea of sand outside. A desert. A _valley_ in a desert, to be more specific.

He heard a small beeping at his wrist, and a watch strapped around it vibrated. He looked down at it, finding a small screen he couldn't make sense of. The ground beneath him started shifting and his eyes widened at an underground roar.

"Ooooh, boy," he said aloud.

"Roger!" a feminine voice hissed at him and he turned, spotting a red haired woman standing in the doorway of a makeshift room, putting a finger to her lips and frowning at him.

"Sorry," he responded, only to realize he had just done it again and half-covered his mouth.

The glare he got from the woman kept him from speaking as the strange rumbling seemed to pass right beneath them. The red never moved, standing completely still, looking at her watch as the shaking began to cease. It soon disappeared entirely and she dropped her arm and continued her way towards the door.

"A little distracted today?" she asked, casting him another odd look.

"Uhhm, yeah," he smiled nervously. "You know, a lot on my mind."

She raised an eyebrow at him and sighed. "Well, move 'avoid being eaten by a Graboid' to the top of that list before you get swallowed. I'm heading to town, do you want anything?"

"Ummmm... No, no. I think I'm okay," he said, still fairly flustered.

"...Right." She left, casting a third glance at him over her shoulder. Seconds later the sound of a pick-up truck pulling away was heard before silence fell again.

Sam rifled through some papers, looked at some personal belongings. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a wallet.

"Roger Garrett," he read. "Fantastic, I know my name," he mumbled.

"Well," a voice suddenly came from behind him, "You are actually a scientist, Sam."

The time traveler spun around, coming face to face with a familiar hologram. "Al! You got here quick! What else can you tell me?"

"Okay, you leapt into the future again," Al said, clicking at his hand-link.

"Oh, great! Really?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Yes, but not as far as before. And we luckily got a lot of information from your last future leap, remember?" Al informed.

Sam nodded slightly. "Sort of. With... The Avengers, right?" Al nodded. "So, where am I?"

"It's August 4th... 2004," he read, "You are in Per...Perfect?" the hologram tapped the whirring device impatiently. "Perfection! Valley, Nevada. It's inhabited by- oh, wow."

"What?" Sam demanded.

"Giant underground monsters," Al said forebodingly.

Sam groaned. "Well that's just awesome, Al."

* * *

"Step _away_ from the coffee machine, Burt," Jodi ordered, chasing him out from behind the counter with her towel. "I swear, if you keep trying that you'll never see another cup again."

Burt grumbled under his breath. "Don't take so long to make it, then."

"If you want to make your own coffee," Tyler said with a smirk, "Why don't you get your own coffee maker?" Burt's only response was a glare.

"So, what's on the schedule for today, Jodi?" Tyler chuckled, sitting down at the counter.

"Work." Jodi plopped a thick manila folder in front of him. "You've got three different tours today."

"Oooh," Tyler said, "Quite a bit. How many on each?" he questioned, flipping through the folders.

Jodi pulled a piece of paper from the bottom of one of the folders and set it on top before starting the coffee machine and hunting up something for breakfast. Tyler read over the sheet of paper silently as the door opened. The door opened to the store, and Larry joined them.

Casey followed him in soon after, plopping down at one of the tables. "God, it's hot out there. I nearly roasted in my truck on the way here."

Tyler snickered a bit at that, receiving a small slap from Jodi.

"Did Roger come with you into town today?" Larry asked.

"Roger is...being weird," Casey replied.

Jodi frowned. "What do you mean? Is something wrong?"

The scientist shrugged. "I dunno, he just seemed out of it this morning. Almost seemed to forget to be quiet when El Blanco passed by. He said he had a lot on his mind, but what I don't know."

"Did anything happen yesterday?" Tyler offered, a bit confused.

"Not that I know of."

"Huh," Tyler said, going back to reading the paper. "Weird."

"Maybe he's trying to plan something," Jodi suggested with a wink, setting a cup of –weak- coffee in front of Burt. "Isn't your birthday coming up?"

Larry grinned excitedly. "Maybe he got you something!"

Casey rolled her eyes, blushing slightly. "I doubt it. Besides, he looked more like he was confused than just nervous."

"Maybe you almost caught him," Tyler smirked.

"You guys are enjoying this, aren't you?" Casey asked, frowning at them with amusement in her eyes.

"They're children, it's what they do," Burt remarked calmly, taking his first sip of his coffee and wincing. Jodi smiled with evil triumph.

"Whatever you say, Gramps," Tyler retorted.

"Just wait 'til you change your first diaper."

They were interrupted again by another person entering the store. It was Roger- or, at least, that's what they _saw_.

"Roger? I thought you weren't coming," Casey said, looking surprised.

"Oh, decided, you know- wanted some breakfast," Sam said, trying to act casual.

"See what you mean," Jodi murmured quietly before addressing him. "I'm about to make biscuits and gravy. Have a seat."

"Oh, biscuits and gravy?" Sam asked happily as he sat down. "My mom used to make that all the time."

The room fell into an awkward silence and even Burt was bothered enough to fully look away from his newspaper. After several deadly quiet moments he decided to be the brave one. "I thought you grew up with your aunt and uncle?"

"Because your mother died giving birth and your father couldn't afford to raise you," Casey added, her face carefully blank to hide the slight worry she was beginning to feel.

Sam looked up with a flustered grin. "Yeah, of course. But, I meant, my aunt got the recipe from my mom," he improvised.

Burt shared a questioning glance with Tyler but said nothing, turning back to his reading.

Larry drummed his fingers a bit awkwardly on the counter in front of him. "Oh, Jodi! I got The Day the Earth Stood Still in the mail yesterday," he informed the shop owner. "Do you want to watch it with me later?"

Al looked between the sci-fi fan and Jodi, glancing down at his hand-link. "Maybe you are here to get these two together," he joked.

Sam rolled his eyes at the comment, mumbling an "I doubt that" under his breath to the hologram.

"Sure, Larry," Jodi replied distractedly, focusing on her task.

Tyler looked up from the paper he had been looking over repeatedly. "My tour is going to be here any minute," he said, checking his watch.

"Hey!" Burt stopped him before he could leave. "Keep your eyes peeled, I saw more of those tracks this morning pretty close to one of your paths."

"Tracks?" Sam asked curiously before Tyler could respond.

"Uh, yes, tracks," Burt repeated with furrowed eyes. "The one's we've been seeing along the riverbed and near Dry Gulch Spring?" he turned back to the tour guide. "It seems whatever the creature is is starting to venture further away from water. So be careful."

"Duly noted," Tyler said with a mock salute before heading out the door.

Al looked out after him. "I'd be careful what you say around these guys, Sam. Record shows these guys are a pretty suspicious bunch. 'Specially that guy," he pointed in Burt's direction with a cigar. "Conspiracy theorist."

Sam nodded a bit in response.

"So, Burt!" Casey turned to strike up a conversation with the survivalist. "What are you up to today?"

"Oh! Wait a second, Sam!" Al suddenly said. "Ziggy thinks she knows what you are here for. 'Burt' here and the tour guide... are found dead in a river two days from now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Boom-ba-da-boom.**

* * *

"What do you mean their bodies are found in the river? How? Both of them? Was it murder?"

The questions that had been churning in his head for the past half hour tumbled out of his mouth one after the other, the suspense killing him. He'd been dragged into Casey and Burt's conversation right after Al had spoken, giving him no chance to reply. Now he stood behind the store, out of sight, and didn't bother keeping his voice down in a whisper.

"That's the huge problem here, Sam," Al said. "It's all classified! One was drowned, the other... Well, it wasn't pretty. Other than that, all of the information was hidden by the government. There is apparently a lot that goes on in this valley that is kept under wraps."

"Classified?" Sam frowned in puzzlement. "But that- that doesn't make any sense. It's a tiny town in the desert, what-...Wait a second...you said I'm a scientist, right? A scientist of what?"

"All we can find is you are an advanced geneticist who graduated from Culver University," Al informed. "You're here to study the local flora and fauna."

Rosalita was just getting into town. She pulled up in front of Chang's and swung open the door to her small blue car. 'Roger's' shouting drifted her way, and she decided to check on him. She swore, if this was another Mixmaster issue...

She headed around the back, finding the man alone and looking rather... irritated. A bit worried even. But no one was there for him to talk to, which was quite strange. "Uh, Roger, who in the world are you talking to?"

Sam whirled in surprise. "Oh! Uh, yeah, no, I- I uh-...I was just...thinking...out- out loud...yeah."

"Oh? About what?" She asked, a bit suspiciously.

"Whoa, mama," Al said, walking around the Latina. "I love Spanish chicks."

"Oh for cryin' out loud, Al, do you have to do that now?" Sam snapped, glaring at the hormonal man.

"What?" Al said, putting up his hands innocently. "Beth says I can look but not touch. An' I'm looking. "

"Okay... Roger, you're freaking me out," Rosalita said, backing up.

"Oh, no, wait, look-" Sam paused, realizing he didn't know her name. "I'm sorry, I just- I-..." There was no excuse he could think of that she would buy, no way to get out of this. "Look, I'm fine. Really."

"You're in for it now, Sam," Al warned.

"Umm... Maybe I should get Casey..." she offered, turning around. "Stupid loco valley," she hissed under her breath, "Always have to deal with it first."

Sam sighed in annoyance as she left. "Nice goin' Al!" he whispered.

"You're the one who had to say something!" Al argued. He watched Rosalita walk away before opening the imaging chamber door. "I think I'll go talk to Mr. Garrett, see if he can help us figure out what the hell is going on in this valley."

* * *

Al puffed on a cigar absentmindedly as the door to the imaging chamber opened with a whoosh. He had gotten a little bit of info from the real Roger that could helpful, but what he saw surprised him.

Sam was sitting on one of the lab tables, looking a bit flustered. The red-haired hottie was standing next to him, asking questions and taking notes while the spicy Hispanic and the two men that apparently needed saving stood around the room watching.

"So, you think this has got something to do with Mixmaster, Case?" Tyler asked, looking at Roger in confusion.

"What is going on here, Sam?" Al asked worriedly, walking towards him and through a shelf full of supplies to look over the redhead's shoulder.

"I don't know," Casey replied, shaking her head. "I'm not sure how it would cause someone to go-..." she cleared her throat. "...mess with someone's mind. It's not supposed to affect humans. We'll have to wait for the blood test to finish."

"I don't like how this sounds," Al paced around the table.

"I swear to God," Rosalita assured, "He was definitely talking to someone who wasn't there."

"Sounds like hallucinations," Tyler said.

"Or he's just gone plain mental," Burt added, receiving looks from the others. "I'm just saying. It happens sometimes."

"Since when are you rooting for the Coincidence Team?" Casey asked. The man shrugged.

"I'm not mental," Sam added in a bored tone. He'd repeated that line a hundred times now, mostly in a strange, vain hope that they would eventually decide to believe him and forget the whole thing.

Casey offered him a comforting smile. "We hope not."

"I do," Tyler cut in. The girls looked at him in shock and he held up his hands before they could say anything. "Sorry, but I'm kind of with Burt on this one. If it's not just a mental issue, then-"

"-it means Mixmaster's changing," Burt finished curtly.

"Tell them it's not Mixmaster!" Al ordered. "Mixmaster is a top secret gene splicing compound and they CAN'T think it's that! They can't do blood tests on you, Sam."

Sam groaned and sat forward, hiding his face in his hands. "Too late," he mumbled quietly.

"They got your blood?" Al asked. "Oh, geez, Sam! They are going to see _your_ DNA! They are going to bottle you up in this lab and you won't be able to rescue those two."

For a long moment the room was silent: The residents slowly realizing the horrible impact on their lives if the compound really had changed to affect humans and Sam trying to figure a way out.

Finally he sat up, dragging in a deep breath before speaking. Directly to Al. "What if we told them the truth?"

Casey started, staring that the empty space of air her friend was talking to. "What?"

"He's talking to himself again," Rosalita said.

Al shrugged, looking nervous. "I don't see any other option when they see you don't match Roger."

Sam glanced at the tan-skinned woman briefly before looking at Burt and Tyler. "Maybe not all of it though."

"All of _what_, Roger?" Burt asked, beginning to feel uneasy at the way he and his partner were being stared at.

Exchanging a last look with Al, Sam sighed heavily and began. "My name's not Roger."

Tyler sent Casey a questioning look, unsure how to deal with this latest development.

"Don't specifically mention Project Quantum Leap, either," Al warned. "According to records, it's still top-secret in '04."

"Then wh-" Sam cut off Casey's question.

"Sorry, but this would be easier if I just explained it first."

"Then start explaining," Burt said.

"...My name's Sam Beckett. I'm a...time traveler." Several eyebrows went up at that. "In my own mind, technically. Jumping from person to person. Except even in that other person, I'm still...me. Sam." A small beeping alerted them that the blood test Casey was running had finished. "Check the blood sample and you'll see. I'm not Roger."

Casey cast him a dubious look but checked the results anyway. She stared at the computer. "He's...right! This says it isn't Roger's blood."

Almost immediately the others lost their nervous worry for their friend and instead became suspicious of this sudden new stranger.

"That's good, Sam," Al said. "They believe you. Let's just hope they aren't that angry."

"You expect us to believe your some guy from the future?" Rosalita said, seemingly not buying the genetic difference.

Al grinned. "Won't you be surprised, Chica."

"No," Sam replied calmly. "I'm actually from the past. Born August 8th, 1953, started travelling in 1999."

"That's crazy," Tyler said, furrowing his brow.

"So what are you doing _here_?" Burt demanded.

Sam shrugged. "Don't know. The experiment didn't work out quite as I expected it to. I can't control the leaps, or return home. And I have to correct something before I can leap again."

"What do you mean?" Casey asked.

"Well, sometimes it's making sure someone gets a certain job, or falls in love with the right person or...making sure someone doesn't die. Sometimes it's as simple as rescuing a cat from a tree."

"Who were you talking to?" Tyler questioned. "Or are you just a _crazy_ time traveler?"

"Oh, that would be my bestfriend, Al Calavicci. He helped me on my little project and appears to me as a hologram from this...imaging chamber thing. Only I can see him, along with kids, animals, and some mental patients. He helps me figure out what in history I need to change, though it's harder in the future. I'm technically not supposed to be able to travel outside my lifetime."

Tyler looked skeptical. "A hologram?"

"You bet on it, buddy," Al responded, though knowing the tour guide couldn't hear him. "Hey, you should mention your seven doctorates to the cutie over there," he added, pointing to Casey. "She looks like the kind of girl who appreciates intellect."

"Yes," Sam replied, shooting a glare at his friend. "And too flirty for his own good."

Burt's frown only deepened and he turned to Casey. "What do you think?"

Casey sighed. "I don't know...I mean...going by the blood it _sort_ of makes sense. It definitely isn't Roger's...wait, where is Roger then, if you're not him?"

"Back in my body, so to speak. Safe and sound, I assure you. Al was just talking to him in fact. Getting information on what goes on here and this..."Mixmaster" compound. How did you do that?"

"We didn't create Mixmaster," Tyler said. "Believe us, we wish it never existed."

"Well who did then?"

"It's classified," Burt said shortly.

Sam frowned. "So's my project, but I told you."

"Not all of it."

The time-traveler bit his lip. Al hadn't been kidding when he said the man was suspicious. He was good too, apparently.

"Doesn't really matter much," Tyler interrupted. "All _we_ really know about them is they were called Proudfoot. It's not like you would know more."

"Actually, you would Sam!" Al said excitedly. "At least, if your mind wasn't so Swiss cheesed."

Sam looked at him in surprise. "I would?"

"Proudfoot offered us funding for Project Quantum Leap," Al said, "And you said 'no' because of the conditions they had." He punctuated the statement with his cigar.

"Talking to your invisible friend, Mr. Beckett?" Tyler asked.

"Uh, apparently Proudfoot offered to fund my project but I turned them down," Sam replied slowly. He turned back to Al. "What was wrong with their conditions?"

"You mean you don't know?" Burt asked, looking skeptic.

"Another fallback of the leaping. A lot of my memories are gone. We call it the 'Swiss Cheese Effect'."

"Hmph. Great project."

"Well, _buddy_,_"_ Al said in Burt's direction, "I'm living, breathing proof this is one _hell _of a project." He turned back to Sam. "Something about incorporating their scientists and using the project as 'a poorly guised attempt for personal gain'."

"Personal gain?" Sam shook his head. "They sound like stereotypical government stooges."

"Pretty much," Casey replied. "But they went rogue with the Mixmaster. Sold several creatures on the black market. No one knows to whom or for what purpose."

"If it was for public or war use we'd probably have heard about it by now," Burt commented.

"The nozzles," Al grumbled.

"And they left it behind so the valley is riddled with it," Tyler added.

"Well, what happens to the animals that come into contact with it?" Sam asked.

"Their offspring's DNA mixes with whatever the parents have eaten, basically," Casey explained. "Random, absurd mixtures. Most die but a few live past birth. And they're usually incredibly dangerous."

"Termite-cicadae-maggot bugs, acid-spitting animal-plant, giant shrimp..." Burt listed off. Tyler made a disgruntled noise at the last one.

Sam looked at them in shock. "And the government does nothing?"

"They could," Tyler said, "But we aren't really into napalm around here." Sarcasm dropped from his voice.

Al chuckled. "Hard to believe with bombshells like these two," he motioned towards the girls in the lab.

"Al, shut up," Sam said tiredly.

The others glanced at each other, still not sure on the whole "my bestfriend's a hologram" story. To be fair, it _was_ rather out there.

"Okay. So, what now?" Rosalita asked.

"You're here for a reason, right?" Tyler asked. "I don't buy that you haven't figured it out yet. I think we deserve to know what it is."

Al and Sam shared a look. "Oh, boy," the quantum physicist mumbled under his breath.

* * *

**Ooooooo, suspeeeeense. Do they tell them the truth? Do the boys accept it? Do the girls get overprotective and worried? Find out next time! And Kiniki, stop trying to type, you don't know how to. The keyboard is not a playground -_-'**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! We're back again with Preventing Imperfection. It's been awhile, ain't it?**

* * *

Tyler looked impatiently at Sam Beckett. "Well? Why are you here, Doc?" he pushed.

Sam let out a long, slow breath. "Like I said, I don't know." He held up a hand before the tour guide could interrupt. "I don't know what happens to you, all I know is the end result."

"So what's the end result?" Casey asked.

"That I refuse to tell you," Beckett replied. "And you won't persuade me otherwise so don't even try." He ignored the annoyed and faintly worried looks he received. They didn't need to know the horrible and somewhat nauseating details, and besides, if he succeeded the knowledge would be pointless anyway.

"Good, Sam, I think they got it," Al nodded. "Now, get them to let you out of here because you can't help anyone locked away in the _lab_."

"Right, now can I get out of here?" Sam pleaded. "I can't really do anything from in...here."

The others turned to Burt, leaving the decision to him. The survivalist stared at him narrowly, the seconds dragging on until Sam began to think he was going to get thrown in a dungeon or something.

Tyler turned to Burt. "We don't really have much to gain by keeping him here," he pointed out. "Except, you know, him learning _more_ about Mixmaster."

Burt shot his partner a glance of annoyance as he realized he was right. But still...the way this "Sam" had been staring at the two of them earlier made him uneasy. And he didn't like feeling uneasy for unknown reasons. "Fine." He turned a hard eye to the stranger, "But you don't go anywhere without me or Tyler, and you don't leave our sight. Understood?"

Sam nodded quickly, fighting back the urge to salute the man. He didn't think that would earn him any good points.

"Ha! That's perfect," Al grinned. "That way you can keep an eye on the both of them."

Tyler let out a puff of air, checking his watch. "I've got a tour showing up in twenty minutes," he said.

Sam perked up slightly. "A tour? For what?"

"I run a tour of the valley," Tyler explained.

"Oh, that sounds interesting. Mind if I have myself glued to you first?"

"Uh," Tyler said, looking a bit unsure, "I guess. Sure. Come on, I'm heading back now."

Sam followed him out, leaving the others to wonder about this new development.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this," Casey admitted.

"I don't believe he's really talking to an invisible man," Rosalita said pointedly.

"Me either," Burt agreed roughly. "Most likely he's just lost his mind."

"Well, he's definitely not Roger," Casey said. "That much I know for certain."

Rosalita frowned in disbelief. "What if Mixmaster just messed up his blood AND his brain?"

"Roger's DNA would still be in there somewhere," Casey explained. "But there's no trace of it at all."

Grumbling a faint complaint, Rosalita shook her head and headed towards the door. "This valley is just too crazy."

* * *

Tyler pulled his truck down the worn desert path he always did on his tours, recounting various Valley and graboid facts. On the tour today (aside from the alleged body-hopping time traveler) were a mismatched group of tourists. A middle aged couple and three men who had all paid separately, so the tour guide had scheduled them together.

One of the men was one of those annoying, there's-a-conspiracy-in-everything guys and was toting several disposable cameras (that he brought with him from his home, "because you can never trust a store in a questionable area to give you proper recording equipment"). He was trying to prove that the strange rumours about unnatural creatures living in Perfection Valley were true (while the town did manage to keep the mixmaster creations under wraps, stories from tourists who had survived the rare attacks did spread, albeit hardly believed), and that the residents were a part of some huge government plot to wipe out the human race and start over with genetically altered humans.

The man was already grating on everyone's nerves, openly questioning Sam's (or rather Roger's) ulterior motives for studying the local graboid. Sam was close to punching the man- and he wasn't a violent person.

Sighing inwardly, Tyler slowed down near a concrete ditch. "Aaaaand here is where Earl Basset and Val McKay first discovered the full body of a graboid. It crashed into the solid concrete here and knocked itself cold."

Al stepped into view from the door to the imaging chamber not far from the jeep just in time to hear Tyler's exasperated speech. "You know, I read about those two guys in People, Sam."

Sam raised his brow at him just as the Obnoxious Tourist 101 graduate spoke up behind him. "HA! I knew it!"

"Knew _what_?" one of the other men asked in annoyance.

"That graboid didn't knock itself cold, it _killed itself_," Mr. Obnoxious answered, sneering at Tyler. "Think we wouldn't know? If you're lyin' about that, what else are you hiding?"

"Knocked itself cold, killed itself, who the hell cares?" Sam snapped. "It's the same thing almost, hardly warrants an investigation. Shut up."

Mr. Obnoxious' cheeks puffed out and his eyes grew wide in defiance of being called out, but said nothing.

Rolling his eyes to himself, Tyler decided to purely ignore the irritating man. "After the attack on the town was ended by the residents- some of which still live here today- the _dead_ graboid was retrieved under the direction of Dr. Rhonda Lebeck and provided much of the information we know about graboids today," he finished tightly, putting his jeep back into gear.

"What about El Blanco?" the woman asked. "How is it he can't change into Shriekers?"

"I wanna hear this one," Al said to Sam.

Tyler glanced at the woman. "El Blanco is albino and sterile. He lacks the ability to carry Shriekers like other graboids."

Sam tilted his head as he took in the information. Tyler had given him a small explanation of what Graboids were before the tour started, but they were still something out of a sci-fi movie in Sam's mind.

Tyler absently tapped the screen. "There are seismic monitors placed all around the valley in order to keep constant tabs on his movements. If El Blanco is within range, he'll show up on this screen."

The tour continued on without any more interruptions and Sam turned his attention to the passing scenery as Tyler began telling the story behind another landmark coming up. A faint glimmer from the trees caught his eye and he realized they were going down the trail Burt had warned them about. The river was bubbling several yards away but Sam thought he saw something large move along the bank. Movement from behind him made him turn and he saw the wannabe spy staring at the same place, raising his camera for a picture with an odd grin on his face. Sam glanced back just as they passed a small break in the trees and his eyes widened slightly.

"YES!" Mr. Obnoxious had obviously had the same luck and was pounding his fist in the air. "I TOLD you something was going on with these people," he gloated to the man sitting beside him.

"What are you talking about?" Tyler asked, turning around in his seat to give the man an angry glare.

Mr. Obnoxious held up his camera triumphantly. "I finally have proof you Perfectionists are up to no good. Harmless hermits my ass. You're nothing but a bunch of sniveling government dogs!"

"Would you just shut up already!" the woman snapped. "You're ruining the tour for the rest of us!"

"I don't have to do nothin'," the man snarled back, adding in a rather crude phrase under his breath.

Her husband immediately shot to his feet in the moving vehicle, grabbing the front the other mans' shirt. "The hell did you just call her?"

Tyler slammed on the brakes and the jeep skidded to a halt. "Alright! Enough is enough!" the tour guide shouted, pushing his door open. "Off! Off the jeep, now," he growled, pointing at the obnoxious man.

"Why?"

"My tour, my rules, and you ain't followin' 'em. Off!"

"Yeah right. You're just tryin' to shut me up because I got proof!" He waved his camera again. "You'll probably shoot me and leave me for dead in the ditch."

"Not a bad idea," the still seething husband hissed.

One of the other tourists grabbed the camera from his hand to look at the picture. "You call this proof? It's just a giant blur!" He threw the device onto the ground.

"Hey! That's expensive equipment!" Mr. Obnoxious scrambled out of the jeep to grab it, only to start cursing again when he looked at his "proof". "Should've known you'd find a way to mess up cameras! I had a clear shot of that thing. What'd you use? Some sort of magnetic field or somethin'?"

With an audible grumble, Tyler tore out his walkie talkie. "Burt?" he practically shouted into it.

The survivalist answered almost immediately. _**"Burt here, what is it Tyler? Over."**_

"I've got a tourist here who stepped off the jeep during the tour," he replied. "You know how Twitch gets about rule-breakers so I figure if I send him off now, I can't get blamed. Will you come pick him up and see him OUT OF TOWN as soon as possible?" he said, glaring daggers at the man.

"Hey, you can't do that! I know my rights!"

Mr. Obnoxious shouted loud enough for Burt to hear his annoying attitude over the radio and sighed. _**"Where are you at?"**_

"The contract you signed clearly stated you will not get off the jeep, regardless of the circumstances," Tyler shrugged with a twinkle of revenge in his eye. "I'm not far from Dry Gulch. Abooooout... A quarter of a mile west," he responded to Burt.

_**"On my way. ETA 15 minutes. Burt out."**_

Tyler turned to his other customers. "Sorry for the delay, folks. We'll return to the tour as soon as Mr. Gummer picks up the deadweight."

The tourists snickered as Mr. Obnoxious went red from anger and possibly some embarrassment. "My lawyer will hear about this! I'll sue yer whole town to the ground!"

"You'll have to get in line," Tyler mumbled, giving Sam a knowing glance- momentarily forgetting he wasn't looking at another resident.

Sam didn't bother looking confused at the obvious hinting and instead gave a slight nod towards the river in a silent warning. _"He really did see something."_

Tyler followed the man's eyes. He sighed somewhat, getting his message and shaking his head. Just another Mixmaster annoyance to him. Sam didn't share his relaxed feelings thought. He'd gotten a _very_ good look at the creature, and it made his blood run cold. Even through the obvious mutations and slightly off anatomy, he'd recognized the deadly animal. The animal that was an absolute terror in the water.

The animal that would become the death of the two hunters.

* * *

**Okay, so, yeah, I (V) had the job of writing Mr. Obnoxious and OHMYGOD I WANTED TO SHOOT HIM SO BAD BY THE END OF THIS!**


End file.
